[IC] Be my Sanctuary

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess flinched at the sharp edge to Roxy's tone, and at her mother's shock. More people stared, only to turn away as the purple-haired woman gave them a look of pure venom. Right now, everything about Roxy screamed "back off", even more so than usual.

For a moment, Jess wanted to reassure the anchor she was helping, but thought better of it. If she said anything at all to Roxy, it would only make her angrier, make her think she wasn't listening. The anchor had put up a wall nobody could get past - a wall meant to hide something. With a shudder, Jess turned her head.

"Please... Don't worry," she told her mother, her words a mumble. "We'll... I mean, Roxy will... Uh, this will all get sorted out."

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy stiffened at Jess' words. She was sure that the empath was simply trying to reassuring her mom but she had no interest in contributing any more. She was done for now. She kept her eyes on her phone. She flipped through articles hoping to find something that would help. But she knew the chances were slim. Even if there was another anchor with her problem they weren't like to admit it any more than she was.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

The cafe was meant to be a cosy, pleasant place to unwind, but for Jess and Roxy, it wasn't relaxing in the slightest. Even as Jess tried to chat with her mother over lunch, she couldn't ignore the worry coming from her - or the distrust for Roxy.

The empath nibbled at her sandwich, glancing over at the anchor every few minutes, but not saying anything to her. That fear, that frustration, that self-blame - Roxy clearly wanted to work through it all on her own. In some ways, Jess could relate. She'd always believed some problems could only really be solved alone. In other ways, though... She had no idea what could have happened in Roxy's past to make her act like this right now.

"I'll help to look into this, ok?" Jess' mom gently offered. "I'll help figure out what could be causing this."

Jess gave a nervous smile. "Uh... Thanks." Luckily, Roxy didn't seem to be listening, her attention on her phone. If she'd heard... well, she'd already made it clear she didn't want others prying into the matter.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy didn't care if Jess' mom looked into their 'their' problem. While there were a few empath and anchors who hadn't know each other in some way before the empaths power she highly doubted any of those anchors hide the kind of secrets she hid. She had searched for stories like hers but none were close. It was very unlikely that that the older would find anything that would cause problems.

Her biggest fear was what would happen when her father found out, if he hadn't already, that she had been paired. He would love to have something to use against her. And whether she liked it or not Jess was the perfect target for her father. While she couldn't keep her father from discovering that she was responsible for an empath. Maybe she could keep her father from realizing just how weak the empath was.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

As the hours of awkward conversation passed, shadows lengthened and the temperature began to drop. That fear still emanated from Roxy, as relentless as a winter's chill. Jess knew she shouldn't ask, shouldn't pry, but she couldn't help wondering what the anchor was trying to hide.

"Well," Jess' mom said, eyes flicking from the empath to Roxy for a second, to make sure the other woman was listening too. "I guess we'd better make a move, if you're both ok with that." There was something a little uncomfortable about her smile as it widened. "Oh, Jess, it's been so good to spend a day out again! If only it could have been... under happier circumstances."

Jess nodded, the corners of her mouth quirking up. "Yeah... It has. Dad would have, uh..." She couldn't finish the sentence. No, her dad wouldn't have wanted this. Both she and her mom knew that... and the unease she took on wasn't just because of the visit to the grave. "Well, he'd have wanted us to see each other again."

If only things had been different. If only things had been easier for everyone involved.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy turned and looked when she heard the older woman say they were going to head out. But she didn't stand or look away from her phone. She had spent the time doing research, something she hated immensely. She had found nothing useful. All the articles talked about trust being the key. Since that wasn't going to happen anytime in the near future she hadn't bothered reading the articles. She didn't see the point of wasting her time.

She waited while they talked. It was a farewell speech without the goodbye. She didn't understand why they were bothering. They all had to climb back into the car and head to the garage together. All this awkward saddness was a waste of time."Stop acting like you won't see each other for months. You can visit whenever you want. It doesn't matter to me. Eventually it won't even affect me."

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

"I know, I know," Jess replied, cringing again. "It's just, uh, been a while." She fell quiet, staring out of the car window, at nothing in particular. Getting emotional had been bound to happen, but people doing that was one of the many things that annoyed Roxy. Undoubtedly for reasons.

Throughout the journey, Jess watched the outside world drift past. A world she still felt out of place in. Readapting could happen with time, but to build a life, an identity, would mean impacting on somebody else's. Traces of the anchor's foul mood crept through to her.

Once they'd arrived back at the garage, and another, more subdued goodbye had been said, Jess stood by the front door as the car disappeared into the distance. As good as it had been to see her mother for the first time in years, she couldn't forget that sick feeling of worry that hadn't even been her own.

---

Amelia Bailey

It was with mixed emotions that Amelia drove home. The day she'd been waiting for had finally happened, but it shouldn't have been like this. Her daughter's future shouldn't depend on someone like Roxy.

Whatever her story may be, nothing gave the anchor the right to treat Jess that way. Amelia clenched her jaw, no longer having to hide anything. Not that there'd been much point in trying to hide things from her daughter, as it had turned out. She didn't want to think what her inner feelings must have done to Jess. It was only because she'd wanted to keep this first family meeting in years as conflict-free as possible that she hadn't called the anchor out, but Jess most likely knew how much she'd wanted to.

At some point, she'd have to say something.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy wouldn't have cared if Amelia had told her off. As far as she was concerned Jess' mom couldn't say jack. She was the only reason that Jess was able to leave isolation after so many years. If the woman wanted to see her daughter then she would have to deal the anchor that fate had given Jess. Roxy didn't care if the older woman liked her or not. Amelia could either deal with her or not see her daughter. Roxy didn't care either way.

Not that she had any intentions of being difficult. If anyone had asked her to describe her behavior and attitude Roxy would have told him that she had been patient and tolerant. Which for her she had been. Until she had learned that Jess had lied to her she had been on her best behavior. Even then there had only been the one outburst. She had restrained herself.

"Are you ready to go upstairs?" Roxy asked once Jess' mom was out of sight. She was glad that day was over. It had been stressful for her. She had no idea how to deal with the fact that Jess could pick up some of emotions. It was something she was going to have to think about.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

"Yeah..." Jess trailed along behind Roxy. "Uh, thanks. For today." A day of people hiding things from each other, or at least trying to. Secrets had slipped out from beneath the surface, including one she should have opened up about before, but hadn't known how to. That had been just one of the things Roxy had put up with from her today.

As she made her way upstairs, she wondered what Roxy would do. Now they were in private, would she have anything to say about it? Or would she just go back to her combat training? If it was the latter, Jess knew how she'd spend her own time. She had some research to do.

No matter what Roxy said, this was her responsibility too. For all the empath knew, it could be her own fault. The way she'd kept the anchor at a distance out of fear of burdening her could be contributing to the problem.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy shrugged. She hadn't minded taking the time so that Jess could spend the day with her mom. It had been awkward but she had been in worse situation. Honestly the day hadn't been bad. She still had no answers to their problem. She doubted there was one. She would just have to deal with the empath being able to feel for some of her emotions. It sucked but as long as her shield was damaged there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"Don't worry about it." Roxy assured Jess. They still needed to go shopping but that she the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. She needed to figure out how to keep the empath out of danger. She started to head towards her workout area when her phone vibrated. She cursed as she glanced at it. Anger and fear coursed through her when she saw who was calling. "I have to take this." she hurried to her room.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Just as Jess had suspected, Roxy headed right over to the workout area. The empath took the opportunity to take out her phone, ready to look into the problem. Surely something could be figured out... couldn't it?

Before she could do any research, Roxy's phone rang - and a sudden stab of fear accompanied the sound. Snapped from her thoughts, Jess gasped, glancing up. "Roxy, what...?" Before she could say anything else, the anchor had disappeared into her room.

Jess forced herself to breathe deeply as panic, not all her own, tightened its grip. What was going on? Whatever it was, her earlier suspicion could be correct. Both she and Roxy could be in danger.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy was determined to keep Jess safe. Which her father knew. She had known that he would find out that she had been matched, which was why she had been hoping it would never happen. She also knew that her father would know everything about Jess within a few hours. She had been fearing his call knowing that he had the one thing he had always wanted. A way to black mail her into doing what he wanted.

Before Roxy had been matched there had been nothing for her father to use that wouldn't attract unwanted attention. Now he had a fragil empath that he could target. Now that Jess' mom knew that their connection wasn't what it should be the woman wouldn't question trauma caused by that imperfection. "What do you want father?" She growled into the phone. She walked as far from the door as she could to avoid being overhoverhead but Jess. The empath might feel some of her emotions but hoping not enough to realize,what was going on. The last thing Jess needed was more cheap to deal with.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess couldn't hear exactly what Roxy was saying, and tried not to listen in on the private conversation, but she was sure she heard the word "father". As soon as the word was mentioned, the empath found herself huffing with anger, something twisting and knotting inside her. With a small, silent gasp, she took a step back, keeping as far from Roxy as the bond would allow. It did nothing to stop the sinking feeling. How much of it was hers and how much was Roxy's, she didn't know.

So there was something going on. Something major. Something that seemed more and more likely to be a threat to both of them.

[KatherinWinter]

Talking to her father was something that Roxy tried to avoid at all cost. She had managed to avoid him for him for almost six years. She had hide in the shadows. She hadn't doubted that he could have found her if he had wanted to. Her father was a powerful man. One most of the world thought was a respectable business man. No one would believe that there was a darker side to Rex Black.

If Jess did a little research she would discover that her anchor was the heiress. She was the only child of a multimillionaire. Roxy had never cared about the money that she was supposedly entitled to. Money and Power had never done her any good. All they had done was given her father the power to get away with things that few others could get away with. "I will do anything you require as long as you leave Jess out of your games." Roxy told him knowing that the price of keeping the empath safe would be higher than either of them could imagine.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

That knotting, clenching feeling spiked. Jess edged away, little by little, to avoid overhearing Roxy. She could only hear a mumble, but this was a private conversation. One that Roxy most certainly didn't want her knowing about.

As she pulled a little too far away, a mix of emotions started to leak in from all around, the trickles threatening to become a flood if she took another step back. With a startled cry, she flinched as if she'd touched something burning hot, rushing back towards the safety of the anchor's bubble - if it could even be called safety.

She stayed put, not too close, not too far, breathing slowly to ease the tightness in her ribs. Roxy didn't need a wreck of an empath to deal with, on top of whatever was going on.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy stayed in her room. She couldn't tell with Jess right now. She was going to have to hide ally of things. She had no idea how to do that. It was hard to do with someone so close. But she had no choice. She couldn't allow the other woman to get hurt because of her. She had sworn that she would never allow her past to hurt another person. While she couldn't stop her father she could make her she was never be the reason that someone was hurt.

Her father was careful. He had been hiding his darkness a long time and few suspected that he was capable of the things he did. She curled up on her bed resigned to the fate she now faced because she had been paired with a fragile empath. Jess couldn't handle her world. She wasn't even sure if the other woman could handle the regular world. She would protect the empath as much as possible.

Roxy tossed and turned all night. She tired to sleep but couldn't. She gave up about five am. She got up and took a shower. She got dressed and headed into the other room. They had work to do today.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess couldn't sleep. All sorts of possible scenarios played through her mind, as terrifying as any nightmare. She had no idea what was really going on, but the uncertainty didn't help in the slightest. All night, traces of fear crept through to her from Roxy like a cold draft through a broken window. The empath stared up at the ceiling, that fear growing as she worried about the anchor. She wished there were some way to help, but how could she when she didn't know what was happening in the first place?

It was around five in the morning when she heard Roxy get up. Knowing she had no choice but to do the same, she dragged herself out of bed, showered and dressed. "Morning," she mumbled as she shuffled into the main room, struggling to look Roxy in the eye, secrets thickening the barrier between them. The anchor surely wouldn't want to talk about whatever had kept her awake.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy sipped her coffee while she waited for the empath. She couldnt and wouldn't talk about what was bothering her. She knew that Jess knew something was wrong. She nodded to the woman when she came into the kitchen. "Let me know when you are ready to go downstairs. I have alot of jobs coming in." She told the empath. She had a dozen jobs coming in. Unfortunately not all the jobs were ones she was liked doing. At least one of them would be sent from her father.

She had to be careful how deep she let him drag her back in. But she couldn't refuse too much. Not if she wanted to keep Jess safe. While she didn't know the empath well she didn't want the other woman to be hurt because of her. She had caused enough damage in her life. Jess represented a chance to do some good for once in her life.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

As she poured coffee and prepared her breakfast, Jess couldn't ignore the trapped feeling coming from Roxy. Like she had no choice but to do something she didn't want to do.

The empath remained silent, almost too sick with worry to eat the toast in front of her, but she couldn't keep the anchor waiting. She forced herself to finish her breakfast. As much as she wished she could help the person who'd been kind to her despite everything, asking about this would only make things worse. All she could do was make sure not to stress Roxy further.

Every nerve on edge from a mix of sleep deprivation, caffeine, Roxy's emotions and her own, Jess trailed like a shadow behind the anchor. That was what she felt like, and she knew all too well Roxy did too. Both of them had become shades of the people they'd been, their identities stolen by their abilities.

[KatherinWinter]

Once Jess was done with her breakfast Roxy headed down the stairs. It was weird to have someone with her. She had been alone since she was sixteen. She didn't know how to live with someone. Her life had never been normal. She had never had a sister or friend that could have taught her how to interact with the empath. She was just guessing. Hoping that she wasn't making the other woman too uncomfortable.

She made her way to the doors and unlocked the regular door before going over and opening the metal bay doors. Then she headed over to the desk that she rarely used. Once she reached it Roxy turned to Jess. "I am not a good record keep. The desk is full of invoices and receipts. There are note everywhere about inventory. Hopefully you can sort it out. Most of my customers are the rough sort but they shouldn't give you any trouble."